neilt3
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Veteran Member
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Posts: 3,008
Re: Sooo...If I Wanted A KM For Fun.....
If your looking for a bridge camera I would recommend the KM a200 .
The a2 has the same sensor and is a slightly bigger camera which can be a good thing and a higher resolution EVF , but the drawback is because of the tilting EVF the ribbon cable for it can tear due to use leaving you with no EVF , and the rear screen has a limited tilt .
Although the a200's EVF doesn't tilt the swiveling LCD makes up for it .
If your shooting low down , especially macro , this makes the difference , it saves you crawling in the mud looking thru the EVF especially if the cameras in portrait orientation .
The EVF's and LCD of camera from over 10 years ago are much smaller and lower resolution than todays , but with care will still do the job .
The a200's still a usable camera today capable of giving good results I often take mine with me when I'm shooting with just large format film ( 5"x4" or 7"x5") so I've got a digital camera with an equivalent 28-200mm lens taking up less space and weight than 1 large format lens !
Compared to modern cameras the dynamic range is more limited , but shooting RAW and recovering shadows in PP is quite easy in modern software ( lightroom for e.g ) just don't blow the highlights .
The 8 megapixel sensor gives a good detailed image for printing or viewing on a screen . Just don't go pixel peeping if your used to 24 megapixel !
If you get one , make sure to instal the latest firmware and download the user manual , available from Minolta still ; https://www.konicaminoltasupport.com/index.php?id=3029&L=0
You'll need a Windows XP or MAC of the same era to run the software though as they sold the camera division to Sony in 2006 and never updated anything for later O/S's .
You can probably set up a virtual P.C on a modern P.C , but I could never figure out how so just keep an X.P machine running for my old cameras and film scanners .
As far as a Minolta compact camera , I like the the Minolta DiMage X1 .
A cleaver design of zoom lens behaves like a periscope inside the camera body , so there are no bulky bit's sticking out and it slips in a pocket very easy .
As with all older cameras , don't blow the highlights , and recover the shadows in P.P .
Likewise user manuals and the last firmware update can be down loaded from the website here ; https://www.konicaminoltasupport.com/index.php?id=3381&L=0
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